Democracy is rooted in Christian thought, Pope reminds theologians [CWN]
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Sonny1954
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Democracy in the west is rooted in ancient Athenian civics. That was a little before Christ.
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Rich_Olszewski
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Huh? Monarchical societies have been the dominant form of government for centuries, and even the Papacy, in its secular aspect, is a monarchy.
Monarchies, even benevolent ones, hardly have encouraged democracy.
Monarchies, even benevolent ones, hardly have encouraged democracy.
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Havard
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Read the whole article, the title is misleading. The Holy Father was referring to many of the ideals underpinning modern democracies, not simply the concept of democracy.
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Timothy17
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What the Holy Father is arguing, in my opinion, is that Christianity is the staple of the modern democratic diet that makes it (modern democracies) work. It’s the filler between the cracks, the mortar that holds the superfices together. The democracies of antiquity were highly unstable, bloody, aggressive, brutal, and prone to actively persecuting their own people (and this even before many of them became Christians), etc. They paid little regard to any value inherent in or to human life, if such a notion even existed then as it does today (I don’t believe it did at all).
Some did (and do) encourage democracy, but certainly owing to political expediency more than for, shall we say, humanitarian reasons (e.g., the British monarchy). Most openly condemned democracy as a seed of anarchy, division and faction, among other reasons (e.g., Spain, Russia, France, I think also Austria-Hungary would have). Many also condemned liberalism in general, if I recall. These ideas seriously threatened the prevalent social order and did that for the sake of a what was then only a theory. Today, we hardly pay any attention to anyone who would radically alter or topple the social order for the sake of a theory, but if it became popular we might care to listen or learn about it. Now, depending upon our conclusions, we might strongly support or strongly resist that theory, praise it or condemn it.
Pax,
Tim
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Another_Mary
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Always excellent advice.
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AdvanceAlways
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Read the article and as usual wonderful words from our Holy Father. I’m so glad we finally live in an era when the Church is no longer propping up archaic, suppressive and honestly, unChristian monarchies.
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AcolyteLector
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He didn’t say that it was invented by Christians or the Lord.
Even so, the Classical models of democracy were not exactly what one would call ideal.
I fear the benefits flowed one way.
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